Chorge to take on Bhosale in Satara

Despite having an opportunity to benefit from the anti-incumbency votes in the Satara Lok Sabha constituency, the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance has almost given up the seat by nominating a fresh candidate – Sambhaji Sankpal, who is new to party workers as well.

| TNN | Mar 14, 2014, 02.10 AM IST

KOLHAPUR: Despite having an opportunity to benefit from the anti-incumbency votes in the Satara Lok Sabha constituency, the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance has almost given up the seat by nominating a fresh candidate - Sambhaji Sankpal, who is new to party workers as well.

The Aam Admi Party has fielded social worker Rajendra Chorge, who is likely to give a tough competition to the Congress-NCP candidate Udayanraje Bhosale.

Chorge has already established himself in Satara city as well as the district through his social work, such as makeover of a cemetery and an autorickshaw stand, among others. As a profession, Chorge is into building construction and also owns a restaurant in the city.

Bhosale has faced opposition from some sections of the NCP as he had not kept good contact with the party workers. In 2009 general election, Bhosale had won the seat with a margin of 2,97,515 votes against Shiv Sena's Purushottam Jadhav who had secured 2,35,068 votes.

The district has a strong network of sugar factories, cooperative societies, milk dairies, agricultural and credit supplying societies and banks in the rural as well as urban areas. Most of the societies are controlled by Congress and NCP leaders and they play a key role in elections.

A senior NCP leader said, "Bhosale never bothered about the party in the past five years. He did not use the local area development fund that would have strengthened the party. He had even insulted senior party leaders - which will cost him dearly in the election. The assembly segments like Patan, Karad (N) and Karad (S) are going to be very tough for him. The local Congress and NCP leaders are also unhappy with him."

On the backdrop of it, Chorge has high hopes. He said, "I am in the social field for a long time, doing several developmental works. I would like to know what the sitting MP has done to the district, except being unpleasant at several occasions. Satara does have potential for tourism and, if elected, I can bring more funds for tourism development."

Chorge added that the Shiv Sena-BJP combine has fielded a fresh candidate who is even new to their party workers.

Sankpal's name was declared by the Republican Party of India (A), an ally of Shiv Sena and BJP, on Tuesday evening. The announcement has irked the Sena's Purushottam Jadhav, who had polled more than two lakh votes against Bhosale in the 2009 election. After communicating his disapproval to the party, Jadhav had resigned from all party positions and held a meeting with party workers in Khandala tehsil. Till now, his stand was unclear.

The challenges that Bhosale will face include local leaders of the NCP and Congress. For instance, former NCP MP Laxmanrao Patil had openly opposed Bhosale's candidature. The party also took a longer to decide whether it would continue with Bhosale or not.

Bhosale had organized a campaign rally in the city and in Karad in the past two days, where his cousin and Satara MLA Shivendraraje Bhosale was absent. He did not take part in the rally. NCP workers later said Shivendraraje was busy in networking for the party candidate.

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